Our Mid-Season Favorite Album Countdown - Nr. 06

Number six in our top ten favourite albums of 2010 so far! Linda, Ilse, and yours truly give you our ten favourite albums at the halfway stage of the musical year in the hope you might discover, rediscover, or agree with our picks. If, in turn, you have some stuff you think we might enjoy, please holler.

Favorite albums of first half 2010: 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 -

Linda:
06. Xiu Xiu – Dear God I Hate Myself (Kill Rock Stars)
After seeing him ‘play’ in Ekko in Utrecht, Jamie Stewart scares me. Yes, the sound quality wasn’t all that, but there are ways to deal with that other than shouting at the tech/sound guys as if they have stolen your lunch money and getting electrocuted while trying to fix it yourself. I believe even Angela Seo was slightly intimidated – as were the guys standing in the trajectory of the bottle that was kicked of the stage, a point in the show at which the audience collectively took a step back. Luckily, I’ve also seen him play in London and do know how the new album is supposed to sound like live, which is pretty good. I’ve only really gotten into Xiu Xiu since I’ve started listening to Former Ghosts last year (a super group in which Jamie Stewart is also involved who will release what is going to be the best album of the year called ‘New Love’ in September), and as much as I like ‘Dear God I Hate Myself’, it’s not one of his (their?) best. Fabulous Muscles and Knife Play still top that list, but this is nevertheless a very worthy effort. Now let’s just hope Jamie Stewart manages to actually get through a set without physically attacking the audience next time he’s around (which will be on a tour supporting earlier mentioned Former Ghosts album FYI – and yes, I will now stop plugging albums that have not even come out yet).
Random track to listen to: ‘Dear God, I Hate Myself’

Ilse:
06. The National – High Violet (4AD)
When a band you like makes another record sounding like most of their older stuff, there are two options: you either love it as much as the other albums, or listen to it and then somehow forget it exists. The former is the case with the National for me; though this album is less guitar and a little sadder than their former ones, they haven’t radically changed their sound. Then again, they don’t need to: we love this sad bastard melodrama rock. At least that’s the status the media subjects them to…. When I saw them live this year, Matt Berningner proclaimed something along the following lines: ‘We make songs about sad things, so a lot of people think we are really depressed, but I think singing about these things can be uplifting’. Me and Matt see eye to eye here as, opposed to Xiu Xiu’s albums, The National does make you want to get up in the morning, and despite the sadness, there’s a sense of hope behind their songs . Matt Berninger’s distinctive, soothing voice is like a fireplace, he is the crispy crackling fire that warms you up after a cold rainy day (and yes, this is definitely the cheesiest comparison I’ve ever made) and for me this, next to Bryan Devendorf's rhythmic drumming, forms the base for The National’s grand sound.

The National are kings of sad songs about social anxiety, but not in an ‘nobody understands me’-way. Quite the opposite actually, their music is engaging and has a relatable and universal appeal. Who doesn’t have someone who they think (or thought) of as “I don’t want to get over you”?
Random track to listen to: ‘Lemonworld’

Stef:
06. Kasper Bjorke - Standing on Top of Utopia (hfn)
The Danish artist Bjorke had a little help from his friends. On five of the ten tracks you can hear vocals which were carefully picked. Or so it seems, because they perfectly fit the overall vibe of the album (better discussed in my review of it). Some of the tracks are a bit on the clubby side, but where the album really shines is on tracks where the atmosphere trumps dance sensibility. Major highlights are ‘Efficient Machine’ and ‘Young Again’, which I can play over and over and over. The vocals of the former were done by WhoMadeWho, on the latter it is Jacob Bellens who sings, and both put in quite the performances. Add to that the music by Bjorke, on the first slightly more pop and on the second slightly more italo, and you’ve got the two real standouts. The rest is nothing to sneeze at either, with the only weird one being ‘Melmac’. The rest is stellar, even the ones sans vocals, like ‘Fido & the Friendly Ghost’ for example. Bjorke really turned in a very good follow-up for his In Gumbo debut, and with his versatility I’m already wondering what kind of fancy stuff he will churn out next.
Random track to listen to: ‘Efficient Machine’